SubPrime Auto Finance News has announced the winner of the fourth annual Subprime Auto Finance Executive of the Year Award, which is again sponsored by Black Book Lender Solutions.

The honoree — who will receive the award during the SubPrime Forum at Used Car Week in Las Vegas — is Ozzie Ramos, the founder, president and chief executive officer of National Auto Lenders, a subprime finance company based in Miami Lakes, Fla.

“Congratulations to Ozzie Ramos and the entire team at National Auto Lenders,” said SubPrime Auto Finance News publisher and Used Car Week chair Bill Zadeits.

“The company plays a critical role in the auto finance market, serving dealerships while taking on the additional risk the subprime segment presents,” Zadeits continued. “It’s forward-thinking executives like Ozzie that embody what the Subprime Auto Finance Executive of the Year Award encompasses.”

National Auto Lenders works with more than 500 dealerships in 11 states, including Florida, Texas, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Indiana. Along with leading his company for the past 20 years, Ramos also is board member of the National Automotive Finance Association.

“Over the past 20 years starting from a small office in Miami, Ozzie’s team at NAL has grown, adapted and implemented innovative tools, ideas and solutions that have helped them to become a leader in the subprime industry within the markets they serve,” Jared Kalfus, Black Book’s senior vice president of sales.

“Ozzie is continuously challenging his team to build and refine their lending models while, always keeping their dealers and customers in mind,” Kalfus continued. “At Black Book, we’ve observed the growth that Ozzie and his NAL team achieved and have found them to be a great resource as they openly share ideas, feedback and observations about the evolving market that allows our team to have greater insight into the industry.”

Ramos joins previous winners of the award, including Bill Jensen of Chase, Ian Anderson of Westlake Financial Services and Dan Ulatowski of Credit Acceptance.

After Kalfus hands him the hardware, Ramos will be part of the panel discussions at the SubPrime Forum, which is presented by Digital Recognition Network. The event, which is produced in collaboration with the NAF Association, runs from Nov. 14-16 at the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Thus far, more than 1,000 dealers, finance company and auction executives and other industry experts are registered to gather during Used Car Week for networking, presentations from experts and more. There is still time to register for the series of events, which also include the CPO Forum — America’s Used Car Conference as well as the Re3 Conference and the National Remarketing Conference/NAAA Convention.

For more details, go to www.usedcarweek.biz.